Iraqi forces attack Camp Ashraf

Conferences

14 February 2012

I celebrate the leadership that I have seen from your people. Madame Rajavi is a wonderful leader. She’s your president-elect. I want her to be your president. [applause] Today is an anniversary day that you’ve come to recognize, but it’s hard to celebrate. It’s also a day when dark clouds gather on the horizon, and it’s scary. It’s a day when your expectations probably are being modified. It’s a day when you don’t know, really, what will happen. And even with that dark cloud that gathers, your leadership has said you will walk the extra mile to show good faith by saying some of us will go to Camp Liberty. But Camp Liberty is almost an oxymoron. It’s more like a prison.

You’re calling for good faith and you’ve had trust. I trust you. I have faith in you. And I want to be part of the solution that you know is right. Governor Rendell did a wonderful job. And I echo and compliment and celebrate what he said. I too am frustrated because I think your people have kept your word, made your sacrifices, gone the extra mile to demonstrate goodwill, partnership and responsibility. I am troubled that the United States of America gave its word, and then when it was no longer easy for them to keep it they transferred the word to a regime in Iran that is really acting through a government in Iraq. And that troubles me. So, I stand with you as someone who got involved because I was a skeptic, who got educated, gained respect, saw how people on the ground from the United States had their expectations far exceeded by the goodwill of your people. And I stand with you. But this is a challenging time, very, very challenging.

The regime in Iraq should keep the word that was given in good faith when their people were freed and make sure that your people will be freed, and that you don’t have to go to a camp that is a prison camp. It’s not even a camp like Camp Ashraf. It will be hard for you to celebrate with an orchestra in Camp Liberty. It will be hard for you to have good hospitals and good care and be an oasis in a part of the world that needs oases at Camp Liberty. So I hope that the United States will exercise greater leadership in saying the definition of your new home for your residents of Camp Ashraf, defined as Camp Liberty, is not a home at all. It looks like a detention center for people who should not be detained. They’ve done nothing wrong and they’ve kept your word and then some.

Governor Rendell spoke very eloquently about the frustrations that many of us feel. And it’s interesting to find that the frustrations aren’t expressed by only people of one political persuasion, but of different political persuasions. We have different expectations. Some of us even have different definitions. But we are passionate and united in believing that your people have earned the respect that they deserve to have manifested on them. Because I saw your leadership keep its word. I saw the people of Camp Ashraf keep their word and meet responsibilities that were far greater than were imposed on any other people in a very troubled part of the world.

So, I would like to thank you for your patience and understanding because things have not moved as quickly as they should have to make sure that the people of Camp Ashraf would enjoy all of the freedoms that you enjoy as people standing with the MEK in Europe or in the United States. And I continue to believe that we should all work together to find a good solution. And Camp Liberty is not a good solution. It may be a good transit point for a good solution but it was a transit point that wasn’t even needed. Because I think there were better solutions but we haven’t found the will to find them. So you are a good people. You don’t deserve to be on the foreign terrorist organization list of the United States of America and I think you should be delisted ASAP. And I believe that you should celebrate the kind of people you are. And when you start to celebrate I will be there cheering with you. Thank you and God bless. [applause]